Physical Education is Now Human Performance and Movement Sciences

On July 1, Keene State’s Physical Education Department changed its name to the Department of Human Performance and Movement Sciences.

“The primary reason for changing the name of the department was to better reflect the programs within it,” explained Professor Donna Smyth. “In addition, the new name, ‘Human Performance and Movement Sciences,’ reinforces the scientific discipline upon which all areas of the major are based. It is important that prospective students are aware that their intended area of study has a strong scientific foundation. The expectation is that all of our students will be provided with more in-depth, hands-on learning opportunities in the areas of human performance and movement sciences (hence the name change)."

At this point, the name is the only thing that’s changing in the department. The majors, and options within them, are still the same. For the 2016-17 academic year, two new labs are scheduled to be available for teaching, learning, and research, to support the human performance and movement science core and both majors, Physical Education and Athletic Training.

“We are excited about the changes for the near future,” Smyth said. “Additional curricular changes are planned for the 2017–18 academic year. The proposed changes will provide more clarity to each major, and provide program options for students that better reflect their academic and career goals. In addition to better serving students’ needs, we believe that these changes will help attract and retain students within our disciplines.”